Organic farms carve out their niche in Perry County

Perry County is known for traditional farming, but two Loysville farms are walking a different path and farming organically.

JuJo Acres Farm and Spiral Path Farm are two of the bigger organic farms operated in the area. JuJo is owned by Jonas and Judith Stoltzfus, and Spiral Path is owned by Mike and Terra Brownback.

Both couples think that organic farming products are healthier than products from traditional farming.

"Less chemicals on the land, you're going to have your soils in better shape," Terra Brownback said. "The nutrients come out of the soil, go into the produce and the nutrients go into you.'

"We're spending way too much money to keep well; we're not spending enough money to eat well," Jonas Stoltzfus said. "And we're producing cheap food by the millions of tons when one thinks that, according to statistics, that the nutritional value of food has decreased one percent per year for the last 50 years.'

Since 1980, JuJo Acres on Bistline Bridge Road in Southwest Madison Twp., has farmed organic livestock and produce. The decision to go organic was the result of Jonas' watching his wife's reaction to a popular herbicide.

"I used Roundup over here on this hill. Judy saw what it did. She stood on the front porch and cried," Jonas remembered. "I said, ‘That's the last time I'll use chemicals on my farm.' It was.'

The couple moved to Perry County in 1971. The two said the farm hasn't provided much revenue, but their love for farming keeps them around.

All livestock, including cattle and goats, on the farm have no chemicals injected into them.

The farm has been in existence since 1978. The Brownbacks originally are from Montgomery County and Terra said the two always wanted to run a farm.

"We always wanted to be farming organically," Terra said. "We didn't for the first 15 years, and we started out as a livestock farm.'

The couple later stopped raising livestock to focus on farming organic produce.

"We just came to the point to completely transition," Terra said.

Spiral Path normally has eight employees, but can have 20 to 25 at the beginning of its peak season. The greenhouses open in February and are in operation until November. The farm sells produce to wholesales in Cumberland, Perry, Lebanon and Dauphin counties.

"Over the winter, we try to take a farming break, but we're always planning for the next grow season," Terra said.

JuJo and Spiral Path don't see themselves in competition with each other. The two couples are friends and the Stoltzfus' inspired the Brownbacks to go organic.

"We just looked at them and said, ‘If they could do this, we can do it,"' Terra said. "They're very good people.'